The mayor of Odessa is under attack
Dashing news from the top of the municipal government of our Odessa continues to grow at the speed of an avalanche. The noise around the terrible story of the fire that claimed the lives of three children in the Victoria municipal recreation camp did not have time to subside, the passions around the demonstrative seizure of the mayor's office by Maidan-style extremists during a session of the City Council, and brought into the ancient building of the City Duma... by the regional prosecutor, did not subside. rumors in connection with searches in the offices of officials from the inner circle of the mayor Gennady Trukhanov, like...
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at Telegram, Facebook, Classmates or In contact with
On the morning of October 23, Trukhanov was unable to hold the next staff meeting, because detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau were already “busting” his workplace. It is curious that in the morning one reason for this action was announced in the popular “mask show” style - with machine gunners in full armor and “muzzles”. Allegedly, the reason for the investigative actions was the city’s purchase of a building on the territory of the former Krayan plant to house part of the municipal services there. They say that it went to the “intermediate owner” for 10 million hryvnia. And it was bought by the city - almost 20 times more expensive!
However, by mid-day, anti-corruption fighters from NABU voiced a completely different reason for the search. More precisely, two. Privatization of the city's share of the property of the Odessa CP "Odessa International Airport", transferred to the authorized capital of the LLC of the same name. In this case, the amount of loss caused to the city treasury is about 100 million UAH. The second is supposedly large-scale abuses during road construction work - inflating costs, overwriting and transferring “saved” money to offshore companies. Therefore, a search was also carried out in the office on Genuezskaya Street of the largest contractor associated with Trukhanov, the Rostdorstroy company.
At the same time, they held similar events in the apartments of the elite residential complex “Ark Palace” on April 10 Square, allegedly even breaking open the doors with crowbars. As it turned out, however, Gennady Trukhanov no longer lives there after divorcing his wife. But all the same, the brave detectives, after five hours of intensive searches, took two voluminous packages of documents with them from there... Gennady Trukhanov himself, in a television interview on this sad occasion, rather expresses complete readiness to cooperate with the investigation than is indignant. And he promises: we will provide whatever the investigation needs. And in general, we ourselves are interested in establishing the truth. In general, our hands are clean and we have nothing to fear. Although he is a little surprised that they are searching an apartment in which he has not lived for a long time...
And here you can understand it. After all, the municipal share of the airport was transferred to private hands under Mayor Kostusev, in 2010, and - according to reliable information, under severe pressure from the then President Viktor Yanukovych! Typical crime panda villainy! Again, in 2016, the City Council initiated an attempt to return the transferred property to the city. But... this case was safely buried under no less intense pressure... from the revolutionary Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko, whom evil tongues accuse of tender friendship and joint geshefts with Messrs. Kaufman and Granovsky, in whose hands this “LLC” has been located since the time of Yanukovych and until now . Truly a worthy continuity of traditions! Revolutions are revolutions, and the interests of the cause are above all!
And go and dig up the road affairs, given their current truly unprecedented volume in Odessa and the old skills of hiding ends under the asphalt in the most literal sense. Again, do you remember at least one case involving the transfer of funds beyond the border, which would have ended in the punishment of the attacker?! In a country where Petro Poroshenko is president, it’s somehow even awkward to talk about this...
And therefore Mr. Trukhanov maintains Olympic calm. Or puts a good face on a bad game? At least, this is how the mayor’s position was described by his longtime rival, the former mayor of Odessa Eduard Gurvits, who spoke on the Odessa Channel 7, owned by Trukhanov’s fierce enemy, the Syrian developer Adnan Kivan. Moreover, this scandalous statement appeared... on the eve of the searches!
In it, Mr. Gurvits, with his usual categoricalness, told the residents of Odessa that the Kyiv highest echelons of power had already made a decision to remove Trukhanov from the mayoral post. And, as usual, he accused him of all his sins. Corruption, lawlessness and plunder of state and city funds, taking out huge loans and involvement in crime... What’s piquant is that during his reign, this is precisely what opponents accused Eduard Iosifovich himself of, not without good reason. And even in much worse cases – even to the point of organizing political murders of one’s opponents and competitors!
So what is happening in our city, a political struggle, or an attempt at a new redistribution?
This is exactly how, in our opinion, one can characterize the massive campaign against Gennady Trukhanov. Judge for yourself!
Some of his enemies, among the most rabid “Nazis,” call Trukhanov “a Colorado quilted guy and a pro-Russian politician.” However, it is enough to take a realistic look at his career to understand: he is not exactly a politician! Retired captain of the Soviet army. Since the early 90s, Mr. Trukhanov has been strictly connected with Odessa business, having gone from the owner of the security agency “Captain”, the chief of the security service of the Lukoil company – to the head of the Party of Regions faction in the city council and the mayor, having managed to visit the walls of the Verkhovna Rada as regional deputy But at the same time, from the very beginning to this day, he is a man tightly tied to business relations with Alexander Angert, the unofficial “godfather” of Odessa shadow and legal business, a criminal authority, whose interests, in turn, extend to the oil business and many others. branches of the city's business life, going far beyond its borders. Note that he is a long-time business partner of the well-known oligarch Igor Kolomoisky. And in all his actions he was and is guided primarily by the interests of his London boss, known in Odessa since his criminal youth under the nickname “Angel.”
And therefore, as they say, there is nothing personal either in active work in the ranks of the regionals, or in the “Vatno-Colorado” position during the confrontation between the Maidan and anti-Maidan. Yes, when it was necessary, Trukhanov showed off in a Soviet officer’s uniform and performed on the Kulikovo Field with a St. George’s ribbon. But... On May 2, he calmly allowed the massacre to happen in the House of Trade Unions, without lifting a finger to prevent the “Odessa Khatyn,” although at that time he had very serious forces and capabilities at his disposal. And then, having become mayor in May 2014 and October 2015, he calmly did everything that was required in order to fit into the new conditions. From helping Poroshenko in the presidential elections in Odessa in 2014 to the adoption of a shameful decision by the City Council to recognize Russia as an “aggressor country.” Strictly speaking, Trukhanov, in all his posts, reflects and implements what currently corresponds to the interests of his “boss” and the international financial magnates behind him. Nothing personal!
But at the same time, he cannot be denied his undoubted abilities as a manager. And the fact that for the first time in many years large-scale work is underway in the city to improve neglected streets and squares and literally literally revive tram tracks and roads is true. However, as well as the fact that the scale of construction of residential high-rise buildings in the most prestigious places has already reached a critical point. And often with obvious damage to both green spaces and the historical part of the city...
Almost from the very beginning of his career as a mayor, Mr. Trukhanov became a target of constant media and political attacks. He is opposed by extreme nationalists, who are associated with Hurwitz, who twice lost the elections to him with a crushing score. So it is with the same irrepressible Kevan. And if the people of the first are simply “working out the task” of their extremely ambitious and vindictive boss, then the second, as well as the media owned by the Syrian construction magnate, are fighting for specific interests, because competition in the construction business, despite the crisis, is great.
Trukhanov was also accused of having Russian and Greek passports, but this was refuted by SBU checks. Numerous financial abuses and lobbying for the interests of “his” companies in all sectors of business were and are attributed to him. And above all – road and construction. Without a doubt, there is some truth in this. But...look at other Ukrainian cities and see: it can be much worse! At the very least, a lot is being done in Odessa. Another question is at what cost. And will the mayor hold his post?
Apparently, he simply found himself again at the epicenter of the intersection of not so much political, but, above all, economic interests of the forces that need to gain control over Odessa. It remains a very tasty morsel, despite all the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities to ruin and plunder it. The potential of the city and region is still great. There is something to fight for! And the roots of this confrontation are in the current extremely unstable balance in the Kyiv elite.
And therefore, for more than a year in the Verkhovna Rada, a certain bill on the removal of the mayor of Odessa and his extraordinary re-election has been shelved. From the point of view of the law, this is complete voluntaristic nonsense, because only the city council can remove the elected head of the municipality, and for very compelling reasons, such as guilt proven by the court. But...citizens of Ukraine know well where they live. Therefore, any lawlessness is possible.
It seems that the question today is not Trukhanov, but whether his masters will come to an agreement with Poroshenko, or whether he will hand over his recent election assistant to be devoured by the enemies, thereby gaining certain points in an effort to maintain his power.
True, in this case, the illusions of Eduard Gurvits, who was repeatedly defeated in elections and covered in dirt and blood, clearly smack of senile insanity. The almost 70-year-old ex-mayor, declaring that he intends to run for office. clearly running ahead of the locomotive. After all, a subject who lost popularity among Odessa residents due to the fact that during his first term he made our city a fiefdom of Chechen bandits and a base for local terrorists, and in his second term he actively nurtured Ukrainian national fascists here, has no chance of becoming the mayor simply no.
That is why in the last elections he took an absolutely shameful third place, losing even to the pocket candidate of the then governor Saakashvili. the slippery and faceless Sasha Borovik... And Gurvits’s reputation as a tyrant and a permanent traitor who imagines himself to be a great politician does not inspire the Kyiv owners at all. They need a person in Odessa who is accommodating and manageable.
In a word, the city is in anticipation of possible future changes. And they will be determined, alas. not our choice at all. Nothing good can happen to us under this government. And by definition, none of the truly decent people can become mayor of Odessa. And therefore, we wait, sir, hoping for global changes.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.